Blumenfield Urges Community Input as the Final Draft of the Warner Center 2035 Plan is Released

posted by Jason Levin | 858sc
September 23, 2013

Community specific plan represents a transformative opportunity for the West Valley.

LOS ANGELES – Councilmember Bob Blumenfield today urged residents to review and provide comment for the Warner Center 2035 Plan, which was released Friday, ahead of final approval by the Los Angeles City Council.

“The Warner Center 2035 Plan is the culmination of over eight years of collaboration between the community, business leaders and the City,” said Blumenfield. “The end result is a transformative vision for the future of Warner Center that has been shaped by local stakeholders, and I look forward to shepherding this plan through the final stages of approval.”

"The success of the Warner Center 2035 Plan is based on the partnership established between the City and the community, a partnership that has set a new standard for specific plans in the City of Los Angeles for decades to come," said Brad Rosenheim, executive director of the Warner Center Association. “We are most appreciative for the support Councilmember Blumenfield has shown for our efforts, both as a member of the California State Assembly, and now as our Councilmember, who will be bringing this plan before his colleagues on the City Council.”

The Warner Center 2035 Plan is a blueprint based on principles of sustainability, community connectedness, accessible public transit and the promotion of innovative businesses and jobs. It is intended to stimulate job growth and economic development by using a transit-oriented development approach to support the regional transportation investment of the existing Metro Orange Line.

Warner Center is an economic engine of the City, with more than 40,000 jobs. In 2013 Farmer’s Insurance announced that they would move their headquarters to Warner Center, and it is the home to major entertainment and healthcare firms, as well as extensive retail opportunities.

The Warner Center 2035 Plan is intended to provide a comprehensive and clear process that will permit development to occur and create jobs while at the same time providing necessary public benefits and mitigations to create a sustainable and thriving urban center. Once the plan is given final approval, it will set standards for land use in the area. The plan features eight districts (College, Commerce, Downtown, North Village, Park, River, Topanga, Uptown) that each have their own set of development standards intended to create a collection of neighborhoods that connect through publicly accessible pedestrian pathways, bikeways and new streets. For example, projects in the River District are expected to face the Los Angeles River and create a vibrant environment along the River's banks.

“Since taking office less than 100 days ago, I've made bringing this vision to the finish line one of my top priorities and I am excited by what I see in the plan,” continued Blumenfield.

Blumenfield also thanked the many City staff who worked diligently to review the plan and incorporate needed elements, including the Department of Planning, Transportation, and City Attorney.

The final draft of the Warner Center 2035 Plan will be posted online by the City Clerk. The public is encouraged to review the plan and submit their final comments to the office of Councilmember Blumenfield, or directly to the City Clerk.